Liveline: Thread with no name, Host with no shame

I have to say today's show brought back so many memories. I was just a young kid. My father owned Black & Co, the shop that the Slainte lorry was outside , the one that saved the life of Vincent Campion who worked for my dad and who was interviewed today . My dad's shop was next door to Guineys and both shops took the brunt of the explosion along with the unfortunate people on the street.

I'll never forget the phone call (the old fashioned phone out in the hall) when a relative rang to tell us. The phone lines to the shop were destroyed so we didn't know for hours if my Dad and his staff were alive or dead. No mobile phones then, no texts . We were all crying (all 7 of us kids) and my poor mum too. Thankfully althought the shop was destroyed and all his furniture, nobody was badly injured, the luck of God ….as with many on that day then many not so lucky.

So the horror comes back and the realization now as an adult of what he must have gone through, his shop floor a makeshift morgue, bodies from the street being brought in, there was no counselling in those days, no talk of PTSD, nothing. He never spoke of that day, he couldn't. Strong people in different times.

The bombings are in the memory of anyone over a certain age, but nothing compared to people directly involved like your family. I was pretty young but had loved trips into town, but there was the fear of God from then on for a good while. I used to worry about my Dad getting home safe from work, and this was common among our neighbours. They were uneasy times in Dublin and border areas, you kept your mouth shut for fear of upsetting the wrong people, and as a young person I didn’t quite know who were “the wrong people”. Anyone with a Northern accent would send nervous shivers through you as there was a certain narrative going around.

Liveline often deals in long past issues, but that comes generally across as being more motivated by Joe’s ghoulery than as a service to validate the traumatic memories of those who were affected. The reality is that people are shaped by their past traumas and “forgetting” is not a reality for many.

Sensitive programs could best serve the needs of people. Maybe a special ongoing series with listener/viewer input, on radio or television could serve such a purpose, dealing with the Troubles, the Church, past social issues, the Stardust, how women were treated in a patriarchal society and much more.

Younger folk, or those with the good fortune of having resilience now might think digging up the past is taking over coals, but people live with traumatic legacy forever in one shape or another. Be it they bury it and become substance abusers, get flashbacks that stop them in their stride, or feel the need to pour over it all forensically as away of coping. A program where the host doesn’t seem to get “pleasure” out of it would serve many much better.

Liveline ounces some of these traumatic issues in the middle of the day with hardly a warning, typically at a time people might be driving and get unexpectedly swept into listening. A pre-flagged program “next week we will be dealing with the Dublin & Monaghan Bombings” would allow people to gather their thoughts together and submit them for possible inclusion in the program material.

Other times Liveline deals with absolute nonsense and trivia. I think it would best serve as a platform for current & more recent discussion from the perspective of ordinarily callers, and highlight present concerns from scams going around and encourage solutions and remind people of ways to to avoid and overcome by encouraging verified experts to come on rather than always dragging everything out ad nauseum. A bit of humour here and there is no harm when relating issues, but could we possibly avoid entire Funny Frydays.

Co-founder of Riverdance: ‘Michael Flatley did not create Riverdance’

“When I first created Riverdance in my heart I knew it was going to be a [success],” he(Flatley) said. 

Maybe lay off your "bottle of poison". No wonder "his" whiskey is called "The Dreamer". Is there no end to Fartley's talents?

Exactly that.

I heard from somebody who was socialising with the spouse of one of the producers, some years back, and they go to a lot of work doing hours of research on a topic or two which had been agreed on, only for the script to be binned when Lord Dollymount saunters in with a new idea.

About two years ago, I think it was, RTE were advertising for a Liveline researcher, no doubt went to an insider’s family member but I considered applying. I have the needed research skills, technical ability , and a huge interest in uncovering stuff. Salary minimal tbh, but Montrose is very near me, and it would have filled in time and supplemented my income. However I know I would have been regularly infuriated by my work being regularly dismantled by an individual earning 10 times my wage.

If properly based on the good work by researchers after due direction from the Producer, who would have consulted Joe and the more senior radio bosses along the way, it could be a much better show. I love the idea where ordinary people can have input, where people can be empowered in the media, yet with a reasonable degree of moderation for safety. But Joe controls the show just a bit too much. His job is to present it live on air, after listening to researchers & making his own suggestions, of course. The Senior Producer and senior radio managers should have broad final say.

For many years he produced the LLS, but then got it produced for him as it was taking too much of his time. He had the kudos, connections and know-how to be able to personally source guests, prepare the dialogue, create a time schedule with built-in flexibility. Joe may be the de facto producer, but he has to be seen to be the impersonal arbitrator on topics… er cough cough splutter splutter I just choked on something that was hard to swallow.

we will discover today if Duffy was a fan of Tony O Reilly, he ticks a few boxes,

Kerrygold the main one,

However the drawback might be Rugby which Duffy may not be too keen on

"…and Does your dog put out fires, Sir Anthony ?…""

passed Crocker area yesterday evening, other than to say free bit of Brucie but won’t make a Mountain out of it.

FAKE Skams re purchases online on dodgy social meeja sites, such as sites that read personal messages of users. Unfortunately our Lords & Masters are afraid to say boo to the sites hosting these. Can’t be upsetting Big Tech.